Tonight while watching Aladdin, my daughter told me that she is going to start calling the monkey (aka Abu), “Aboot”…in honor of Canada.

So just in case you actually want some helpful information from me (I mean, I can’t imagine why, but let’s make sure we keep “Blue Ribbon” status and don’t slip into “Thanks for Participating”), I have some information on what we did for our weekend trip to Vancouver. Note: We did everything with 2 kids (ages 5.5 and 3)

We live in the Seattle area, so we were able to drive up on a Thursday afternoon (about 140 miles, 2.5 hours depending on how long the border wait is). We drove into the southern part of the city right at rush hour and got stuck in major traffic at the George Massey Tunnel (where 5 lanes of traffic merged to 1). As my grandpa used to say while driving in Southern California, “3 doesn’t go into 1.” I imagine he would agree that 5 doesn’t go into 1 either. So check your timing if you are driving.

We stayed that the Westin Grand Vancouver Downtown. The Westin Bayshore is also supposed to be great because it’s walkable to Stanley Park. But the Westin Grand ended up being perfect because it was walkable to the shops, restaurants, ice arena, Yaletown and ferries (all discussed below). The concierge at the Westin Grand was wonderful. She was super nice to the kids and every time we asked for suggestions she gave us directions, different options and made reservations for us. I was a little obsessed with how she used her mascara to really make her eyes pop.

Thursday Night:
Dinner at Italian Kitchen (on Alberni St, near the high end shopping and walkable from the hotel).  They took us to a table upstairs and immediately I assumed we were being put out of the way because we are a traveling circus. Turns out the majority of the seating is upstairs. (I don’t jump to conclusions…ever.) It was good, they also had a kids menu. Other restaurants suggested to us by the same restaurant group and in the same area are: Coast and Black + Blue.

Friday:
Drove to Stanley Park. Got to the miniature train parking 20 minutes before it opened to get a spot, it filled quickly. Rode the train, did an Easter egg hunt. We happened to be there Easter weekend and the majority of us happen to be Jewish. But in the way Jews love Christmas carols (which, btw, I don’t) this Jew LOVES Easter egg hunts.  Carols do not yield chocolate, Easter egg hunts often do.
Then walked to the Vancouver Aquarium. It was super crowded, so things were hard to see for the kids. We were there on Good Friday so obviously I suggest going on an off day if possible to avoid crowds.
Drove within the park to Prospect Point for lunch and view.
Drove through the rest of the park just to check it out.
Back to hotel, parked car, walked through Yaletown (we didn’t spend any time there but it looks like a fun area to walk around, shop and eat, maybe without kids) to the ferry docks to catch either the False Creek Ferry or Aquabus to Granville Island.

The ferries were definitely a must, but they are enclosed so it was hard to see out the windows and the ride is pretty short. But it’s an easy way to get to different places and the kids liked it (personally, it felt a little like taking a boat to Alcatraz or Riker’s but that feeling was only confirmed when we entered the Kids’ Market, see below). We didn’t get to Science World but heard that’s a fun place to be when it’s raining outside and the ferries stop right there.

Granville Island was pretty cool. It had a public market that was a bit easier to navigate than Pike Place in Seattle. We walked to the Kid’s Market and I pretty much had an anxiety attack the moment we stepped foot in there. I would say it was super tight, tons of crap everywhere, kids running around, overstimulation and really nothing fun, except I kind of blacked out when we entered and I don’t seem to remember a thing…none of those things…I’m trying to never remember any of those things. The kids got some cute balloon animals made. Immediately after, we bribed the kids so we could leave. Everyone says to go so don’t let me sway you, I don’t remember any of it, maybe we had fun.

We ate at Edible Canada and though it’s doesn’t look kid-friendly, if your kids are pretty well-behaved (HA! If you just nodded your head and said, “yes, they are,” you crack me up!) it’s a nice place and has a small kids menu. We were motivated to eat there for 2 reasons, 1. the Granville Brewery was tiny and packed and 2. They were showing the Kansas/Michigan March Madness game on TV. The menu is limited but the food was tasty. And there’s always a burger as a go-to.

Saturday:
Capilano Suspension Bridge – this was my favorite part of the trip. The treetops adventure was super cool, we felt like we were walking around the Ewok village from Star Wars. The Nature walk was beautiful and easy. The Cliff Walk was a little scary for me but we did it and I’m so glad because it was stunning.

We went back to Stanley Park to eat at Teahouse. It’s right near the water so the view was wonderful. Not the best family restaurant, but it was quaint and cute and had some delish brunch.

We took a break and gave the 3 year old a nap.

The weather was beautiful all weekend and I’m a huge sucker for sunsets, so we wanted to go somewhere for dinner where we could watch a sunset. The concierge suggested Boathouse Restaurant at English Bay where we had a table at the window. Definitely a family-friendly place and the food was good. Well, I’m going to say it was good but when you end with this:

…anything you ate previously doesn’t count.
Other suggestions around there: Milestones, Cactus Club Cafe. You can walk across the street to the beach and hang out.

Sunday:
We are fans of the show Once Upon A Time and some of the scenes are filmed in Steveston which is in the Southern suburb of Richmond (and on our way out of town). It was cute. It’s a fishing village and you can walk down to the marina where they sell the fish right off the boat. There were a bunch of restaurants, ice cream places, coffee places (including Starbucks, but I was so worried there wouldn’t be one and I couldn’t check on my phone because of international rates that I jumped the gun and got it earlier) and a big playground. We got donuts from Outpost Mini Donuts.

Then we headed out (through the George Massey Tunnel which was completely clear on a Sunday afternoon, although it was Easter).

Some other suggestions given to me that we didn’t do but might be good for a longer trip or if the weather is bad:
Canucks Game (we missed the boat on this one because it turns out the Colorado Avalanche were playing the weekend we were there and my husband is from CO. The arena was 3 blocks from our hotel)
Hillcrest Indoor Pool
Watermania
Robson Street Shopping
Grouse Mountain
Whistler
Rent bikes and ride along the Sea Wall (Stanley Park, Kitsilano Park)
Restaurants:
Earl’s  and Joey’s (we have in Washington)
Hy’s Steakhouse

For my own amusement, I sometimes encourage my children to speak with a foreign accent or different American dialect. We dabble in many varieties. We kept it close to America at first and went southern. That was mostly driven by my daughter who one day came into my bedroom and unsolicited, said, “Why, I do declare, Mommy!” I just knew at that moment, she was on to something big, there was talent and possibility. She handed me a golden opportunity and I couldn’t let that pass us by; as a blue ribbon wife and mother, I had a duty to this family.

After southern, we focused on the English accent. That was driven by the excessive watching of Mary Poppins (and that was driven by me because it’s my favorite movie). I love everything about Mary Poppins. And for the longest time I was SO mad that she never responded to the letter I sent her in June of ’84. I think I was more hurt than anything else. But obviously as I grew up and matured it became clear that of course Mary Poppins didn’t receive my letter and ignore it…how absurd…my mom just didn’t mail it.

So I think we are ready to move on to a new accent. I feel like we should go Canadian. NOT French Canadian yet, that is way too advanced! Just Canadian. We probably should have started with Canada because it really gives you a good basis without being too intimidating. I already love saying “aboot” and “soory” so it only makes sense to attack that one head on. I’m really hoping to find some good clips of “You Can’t Do That On Television,” ones where Alanis Morissette has Zack Morris’ hairstyle without the frosted tips.

Shout out to Mark-Paul Gosselaar for confirming my heterosexuality in 1989 (and for probably confirming some other people’s homosexuality).

Woke up: 136 lbs

Subsequently, the next day, my husband left his phone at at home. I saw it sitting on the nightstand and a huge wave of anxiety came over me…now he won’t be able to take his Scramble turn.  Gives the post below a whole new meaning.

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you are sitting around all day waiting for someone to take their Scramble turn? And you keep opening the app and updating it just in case the badge didn’t display?

Now we will relive the Costco conversation from the 17 year old boy’s perspective (Boy #3 because I’m going to assume due to his quietness, he was really listening to us).

So I was out with two of my friends today, it was a sunny. Worth noting for no reason other than everyone here notes when it’s sunny and they wear shorts even though it’s still 50 degrees. We went to Costco for lunch. We ended up sitting next to this family and I overheard their conversation. There was a mom and dad (I don’t know how old, probably about twice my age, so 30-something, you know, middle aged) and two kids, one little girl and a toddler-looking boy (I just impressed myself that I knew what a toddler was). My friends were talking about khakis I think, not sure, I tuned out. And basically, this is how their conversation went:

Mom: Eat your pizza, then you can have your churro.
Boy: I wan cheerio.
Mom: I know, eat your pizza and then you can have your churro.
Boy: I wan cheerio now. (Boy points to actual cheerios in the cart.)
Mom: You can have those cheerios at home.  Eat your pizza and then you can have your cheerio, I mean CHURRO! (She then “quietly” muttered, “Jesus Christ.”)
Boy: I can have cheerio? (Is that a question? I’m going to try that.)
Mom: YES, BUT YOU NEED TO EAT YOUR GREASY OVER PROCESSED PIECE OF PIZZA FIRST. NOT LIKE THAT. LIKE THIS. LET ME HOLD IT. EAT IT! EAT IT! (She looks to the dad) I’M DONE, I DON’T CARE WHAT HE EATS.
Dad: Eat your pizza.
Boy: I wan cheerio (now, points to the churro).
Dad: Pick up your pizza, like this. (Dad picks it up, cheese starts to slide off) HOLD IT UP! HOLD IT UP! TAKE A BITE! (Dad then proceeds to put pizza down with force and “quietly” mutters “Jesus Christ.” I wonder if they are Jewish.)
Mom: (Takes the pizza, throws it out, hands kid the churro.) Eat your CHEERIO!
Boy: Tank you. (Finishes the cheerio, I mean, churro.) Can I have my pizza now peese?

That kid is my hero.

Best ever overheard conversation.  And I’ve overheard some really good conversations before, mostly at Starbucks because I don’t really sit around anywhere else.  But this one was at Costco. Yes, Starbucks and Costco, very Seattle of me.

First let me preface by saying that the sun was in full effect today, so everyone was a little out of sorts with giddiness, being that it’s March in Seattle and it’s been about 6 months since the sun has graced our presence (I know, I exaggerate, it’s just much more exciting to set the scene up that way).  But seriously, it was really sunny and people were very excited to be at Costco and to be outside.  I even saw a group of 6 high school girls from a soccer team bust out into a ditty.  No words for that one.

Ok, so sitting outside eating our cheese pizzas, all beef hot dogs and churros when the three teenage boys next to us started talking.  They were 17 by my calculations (aka, totally listening to every word and figuring out the math when the boy said, “15 years from now you’ll be 32.”).  That line was already funny because I’m 35 and the fact that in 15 years those boys still won’t even be my age put me rightfully in my adult place.

So let’s begin the convo.

Boy #1: I love going out to eat with my girlfriend’s family.  Her mom doesn’t really cook, so we eat out almost every night and they always pay for me.  I don’t think I’ve paid for one meal since we’ve dated.
[My comments to myself:  Poor girl, have you ever gone on a date with her? I mean, have you ever taken her out yourself and just paid for dinner?  Even Chipotle would win my heart over.  I love my parents to death but I certainly didn’t want to go out to dinner with them and my boyfriend all the time.]
Boy #2: Does the mom work?
Boy #1: I don’t think so, her dad is loaded.
[And…mystery solved.]

Boy #1: When I go to college my parents are going to get a place in Palm Springs, it’s so cheap there, you can get a house for like $200K.
Boy #2: Yeah because there is nothing around there and nothing to do.
Boy #1: That’s why it’s good for the old people, they love it.
[Note to self, when my child is 18 I will be considered part of the “old people”.]

Boy #1: I’m going to go into Computer Science in college.  If I major in that I’m guaranteed a job right out of school, base salary $100K, I looked it up.
[You looked it up? On Google? What’s the job? But hey, already I’m excited that he’s talking about actually working out of college.]
Boy #2: I’m going to be a doctor.  Then you can never get fired.
[Huh?]
I can do any kind of medicine, there is always a need for doctors, like even sports medicine.  Sure, I guess the hospital could transfer you, but you can’t actually get fired.
[Again, stoked he has ambitions, whether it be altruism for healing the human body or job security.]
The only way you can get fired is if you do under the table kind of stuff.
[That’s called malpractice, son. And yes, I guess you could get fired for that.  I’d say maybe more along the lines of never work again, but fired works too.]
Boy #3: [He’s kind of the quiet one, probably thinking he can’t believe these conversations] Totally.
Boy #1: My dad does work for a company that does computer science so I have an in.
Boy #2:  Where does he work?
Boy #1: He’s the CFO, that’s the Certified Financial Officer [eh, I don’t think it is] at a company, I’m not really sure what they do.
[And…scene.]

Boy #3: Where do you guys think you want to live and settle down?
[Settle down? That’s cute but do they even know what that means? Oh, we’ll find out.]
Boy #2: I could see myself coming back here in about 15 years [yes, my calculations conversation] to settle down.
Boy #1: What? In 15 years, you’ll be 32.  What do you mean settle down, like look for a wife?
Boy #2: No, I can have a wife and kids already and then move back here to be with my family and you know, settle down.
[They LOVE settle down.]
Boy #1: I don’t know, I guess it’s nice to be home.  But I have to do California, I need sun.
[Boy #1 just scored some points with being one of the first Pacific Northwesterners in my presence to admit the lack of sun here BLOWS!]
Boy #3: [Oh, welcome to the convo]. You could live in Florida.
[?]
Boy #2: I could not live on the East coast.
Boy #1: I guess Florida could be considered the East coast, right?
Boy #2: I could never live in Boston or NY.  I mean, you could never wear what you are wearing right now on the East coast.
[I believe the other kid was wearing a track jacket, not sure about the bottoms.]
If you are at work you wear a suit and the rest of the time it’s khakis and a Polo. It’s not like Boeing where you can wear sweats.
[Ah, the aerospace industry, such slackers wearing sweats. It’s like they’ve given up.]
Boy #1: I guess I could be okay with khakis, khakis aren’t that bad, they are comfortable.
Boy #2: No, dude, not just khakis…you have to wear the Polo.

Best end to the best conversation I have ever heard.